Birds have wings, they are free, they can fly where they want and when they want. They have the kind of mobility that many people envy. Did I envy them? Yes, somewhere I did. Why did I? It’s because I always wanted to know how they felt watching all of us as tiny little creatures when in reality they were the ones. Have you also wanted to somewhere have a sense of superiority if not on land, to open your wings and fly into the horizon and see the world below you as you enjoy the breeze and sing your way to glory? The freedom that the birds enjoy, unashamed and free is something that we could never experience.
Ever heard how a heart without dreams is like a bird without feathers? Well, every so often I dreamt of flying. Flying my way up to watch the diligent and engrossing world from a bird’s eye to feel the indulgence and the sedateness of being in the air. On the 5th day of my stay in the wonderful wonderful Sabah, the Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort did grant my dream of flying. All of us staying at the ocean wing of this gorgeous resort didn’t want to leave our rooms that morning due to the amazing private outdoor bathtubs and the mesmerizing view of the sea and the gardens from those bathtubs. However with all laxity we had to drag ourselves down to water sports center with a bag in one hand that clutched a pair of clothes and tubes of sunscreen in the other. The scorching sun made us all want to run back to our air-conditioned rooms to relax and forget about the world’s existence.
When we reached the water sports center we are asked to divide ourselves into groups of 4 to cover two activities which were jet skiing and para sailing. Since I previously mentioned how I dreamt of flying I didn’t reconsider before choosing to go do parasailing. We were all taken on a boat a little away from the shore before our guide gave us a helmet and life vest. I and a dear friend were to parasail together and I was excited like never before. We were asked to step on to the upper level of the boat where we were secured and hooked into the para sail. Once the rope was mechanically unwinding I wanted to scream and let the world know that I was doing something that I always wanted to do.
The altitude was unmistakably controlled by the boat speed. Well, what can I tell you? If there were to be another life and if anyone ever asked me what I would like to be then I’d definitely want to live a life that of a bird’s. I regretted even having a thought of going back to the hotel room as what I was seeing was ”out of the world” beauty. When we rose up to the sky we could see the whole world beneath us. The calm sea, the majestic island upon which the resort was situated, the marvelous liquid sunshine forests made me want to cry as I couldn’t take in all of that at once. It was a breath taking view and I let myself indulge in this beauty of a para sail as it was something very remarkable. While still enjoying the bird’s eye view and never wanting to come down we were given our first touch down in the water. We were carefully lowered and the water below graced and tickled our feet. The boat was stopped completely before splashdown in order to avoid dragging the chute through the water. After landing we were quickly unhooked before we were asked to settle.
What happened up there will forever be one of my life’s best experiences as to fly without wings and to see all of the world from high up above there was awe-inspiring and stunning. Shangri La Rasa Ria, Malaysia’s largest resort and the skies there await you to welcome you to the resplendent and picturesque world of parasailing.
